16 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



forth knows it no more. The young males, presently 

 feeling the want of mates, roar nightly ; they roam the 

 country, until after a while a young female leaves some 

 neighbouring troop and joins them./ For a time the 

 three hunt in amity, but sooner or later a serious quarrel 

 and fight between the two gentlemen occurs. The 

 vanquished may occasionally perish in the combat, but 

 more frequently he departs torn and bleeding, to solace 

 himself as best he may in the company of some fresh 

 bachelor acquaintance, while the victor and his bride 

 become the nucleus of a new troop. ' It is not uncommon 

 for more than one party of lions to be found hunting 

 together, and, at certain times, several full-grown males 

 will be found associated with a troop, though they are 

 not likely to remain with it for very long. 



Lionesses with young cubs are dangerous animals to 

 approach, and will, under such circumstances, charge 

 upon slight provocation. Mr. Wolhuter, one of the 

 Sabi Rangers, once came on a large party of lions, three 

 of the females having small cubs with them. His dogs 

 pursued the latter, and he himself was successively charged 

 by all three lionesses, though he described their rushes 

 as demonstrations rather than determined attacks. 

 Mr. Coryndon, when he was Administrator of Barotse- 

 land, was one day riding through perfectly open country 

 when a lioness lying behind a small bush charged straight 

 at him, and knocked him over, horse and all. Having done 

 so, she immediately made off without attempting to do 

 any further injury, and his impression was that she had 

 young cubs somewhere close by. 



Lions vary immensely in courage and temperament. A 

 couple of years ago, two native constables on patrol 

 in the game reserve came one evening upon three newly 

 born lion cubs concealed in the reeds bordering a sand 



